There are numerous implementations to using microphones in predefined areas to improve sound quality. For instance, residential entertainment systems employ a central microphone to listen for each speaker arranged in a room by a residential user when the entertainment system is first implemented; in such a system, the microphone listens for sounds from each speaker and a processor determines an approximate physical arrangement. From the determined arrangement, the entertainment system adjusts output characteristics for each speaker such that an optimized sound quality can be experienced by the user at a predetermined location, typically that of where the microphone is placed during testing. Other systems may employ an array of microphones (directional, omnidirectional, etc.) to achieve a similar result in a more complex setting.
While microphones may be designed and utilized in arrangements to approximate physical locations of speakers in a predetermined area, the precise location of each speaker is often difficult to obtain. Further, because a predetermined area is often more complex than a simple box arrangement, many factors and characteristics about the predetermined area are often not known or accounted for in the determination of speaker locations. For instance, few locations, such as rooms or arenas, have a specific or pure geometric configuration; often there are cut-outs, heating and ventilation encumbrances, and other structural inclusions that can impact the transmission of sound waves across and throughout the area. This typically may also result in human error of speaker placement or may result in a contractor's placing speakers in locations that may be more convenient for structural placement than for sound quality. Additionally, often these systems result in a single preferred point of sound quality which can be limiting to multi-users in larger venues, residential situations where the furniture layout is modified, and even situations where the listener moves within a room, for instance. Further, these systems typically account for sound waves associated with the electronic sound generated from the system.
Therefore it is desired to have an improved technique for sound localization that provides for the specifics of a predetermined location's physical layout, a listener's static or dynamic location, and also for differentiation as between electronically-generated sound and human sound (e.g., vocal emanations, talking, etc.). Further, it is desired to have such an improved technique that additionally provides for identifying one or more person's presence in a predetermined area using voice recognition technology. The present invention addresses such needs.